Oct-Dec quarter will see robust hiring in India: Survey

Indian employers have the most optimistic hiring plans for the October-December quarter, driven by government's increased focus on ease of doing business, a ManpowerGroup survey says.

According to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released on Tuesday, employers expect the hiring pace to remain robust in the October-December time frame.

The survey covered 5,047 employers across India.

The net employers' outlook for the upcoming quarter stood at 41 per cent, indicating that hiring confidence remained buoyant and job seekers are expected to benefit from strong labour market activity.

ManpowerGroup India Group, managing director A G Rao, said,"With increased focus of the government on the ease of doing business, many MNCs find a conducive investment climate in the country, resulting in creation of employment opportunities and business growth."

The bullish hiring plans were mainly driven by e-commerce giants, who are in the process of ramping up workforce across various functions, particularly engineers and other specialists with an intention to be technology, product and engineering-driven companies, Rao added.

Sector-wise, the most optimistic hiring plans were reported by employers in the wholesale and retail trade sector and transportation and utilities sector, where net employment outlooks stood at 45 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively.

From a regional perspective, employers in the Eastern region anticipate the most opportunities for job seekers in the months ahead, reporting a net employment outlook of 42 per cent.

The global trend for the job market also looks positive, with employers in 36 of 42 countries and territories saying that they intend to add to their payrolls by varying margins during the October-December time frame.

However, many employers are exercising caution and are refraining from aggressive hiring until they sense more meaningful indicators of a market upturn, as the pace of recovery following the recession continues to be slow and protracted globally.

Globally, employers in India and Taiwan report the strongest hiring plans. Hiring intentions in the US continue to improve, and the current outlook is the strongest since Quarter 4, 2007.

However, employer optimism dwindled in Brazil and labour market activity also slowed in China where employers forecast weakest hiring environment in more than six years.

Meanwhile, the forecast remains negative in Italy, Greece, France and Finland, the survey indicated.